Bouncing ball game apparatus having a sound strip



Feb. 12, 1957 H. 1.. SISTRUNK Filed Aug. 7, 1953 Jzfarn ays United States Patent 3 3 H BOUNCING BALL GAME APPARATUS HAVING A SOUND STRIP Henry L. Sistrunk, Western Springs, 11]., assignor to George H. Forsyth, Chicago, Ill.

Application August 7, 1953, Serial No. 372,985

6 Claims. (Cl. 273-30) ordinary table, but wherein the ball may also rebound for play on a second court marked on the floor.

Among the features of the game apparatus of the character above described is the arrangement of the end abutment wall at a substantial angle of inclination toward the player end of the table court which insures that a ball, struck from the player end of the table court against the end abutment wall and impinging on the latter below a prescribed horizontal boundary line, will tend to be deflected downwardly on rebound so as to bounce on thesurface of the main table court before it reaches the player end of the latter, but wherein also the abutment wall is extended above the aforesaid horizontal boundary line so that a ball, impelled with suflicient force from the player end of the table court and impinging on the end abutment wall above said boundary line, can be rebounded so as to clear the end of the table court and.

strike directly on the floor court.

Among the objects of the present invention is to provide an improved form of game apparatus of the character described wherein a portion of the abutment wall above the horizontal boundary line is inclined toward the player position end of the table court at an angle slightly less than the portion below said boundary line, so as to provide what may be termed a smash play ing area, against which any ball must be struck with sufficient force to clear the player end of the table court; otherwise, the player who strikes the ball commits a fault and loses a point in the game.

A further object of the invention is to provide a sec ondary playing area immediately above the horizontal boundary line with a rebounding area having substantially the same resilient characteristics as the primary playing area below said boundary line but having sound characteristics distinctly different from that of said primary playing area when struck by a ball, in order to apprise the players in doubtful instances whether or not the ball has struck the end abutment Wall above or below the boundary line.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from time to time as the following description proceeds.

The invention may best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing one form of game apparatus made in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical section of the game apparatus shown in Figure 1, taken longitudinally of the table court thereof; 7

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail of the changed sound- Patented Feb.,12, 1957,.

2 producing means associated with the horizontal boundary line on the end abutment wall of the table;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a variant form of end abutment wall to which the soundproducing means may be applied.

Referring now to details of the embodiment of my invention as applied to the game apparatus shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, said game apparatus, indicated generally at 10, includes a playing court, indicated generally. at 11, a forwardly inclined end abutment wall 12, and two upright sidewalls 13, 13 diverging slightly from the opposite sides of the end abutment wall and terminating short of the front or player position end of the playing court 11. In the illustrative form shown in Figures 1 and 2, the playing court 11 is made up of a rear court section 14 inclined downwardly from the end abutment wall 12 at a slight angle to the horizontal for approximately two-thirds of the length of the playing court, and a contiguous front court section 15 inclined upwardly at approximatelythe same angle to the horizontal for the remaining one-third of the length of the playing court. It will be understood, however, that the horizontal disposition of the playing court may be varied within reasonable limits, provided that it conforms to the basic relationship between the height and angle of forward inclination of a lower portion of the abutment wall 12 and the horizontal length of the court, which relationship is essential to the game, as will now be described.

The end abutment wall 12 has a horizontal boundary line 16 demarcated along its playing face to define a primary playing area 17 below said line and a secondary playing area 18 above said line which playing areas have substantially the same surface resilience. The arrangement is such that a plane intersecting said end panel at right angles thereto along said boundary line, as indicated by the dotted line AA in Figure 2, will also pass through the far or player position end of the playing court substantially at the base line 19 thereof. This arrangement, which constitutes a basic feature of the game apparatus of the kind to which the present invention is directed, insures that any ball directed toward the end panel from the opposite or playing end of the court, and striking the primary playing area 17 below the horizontal boundary line 16, will always be rebounded initially toward the table court surface, short of the base line 19 thereof. In other words, it makes it impossible for a player to rebound a ball from the primary playing area 17 so as to clear the table court 11 on the fly.

0n the other hand, in accordance with certain rules of the game, it is permissible for a player to strike or rebound a ball from the end abutment wall above the bound-- ary line (known as a smash shot) only upon condition that the ball be struck with sufiicient force that it clears the baseline 19 of the table court on the fly, and also bounces within the boundaries of the floor court area, indicated at 20 in Figure 1. Should he fail, with such a smash shot, to clear the base line 19 of the table court on the fly upon rebound from the secondary playing area 18 (or the ball fails to alight within the floor court area), he gets a fault and loses a point on the score.

Accordingly, in playing the game under the abovementioned rules, the secondary playing area 18 above the boundary line 16 is preferably disposed at a slightlyless angle of inclination to the table court than the primary playing area 17 on the end abutment wall. Without this change in inclination of the secondary playing area 18, it would be practically impossible, for even expert players, to clear the table court with a smash shot when rebounding from near the lower edge of the secondary area .18, because of gravitational efiect on the ball in flight.

It also becomes of paramount importance in a fast game i of this kind that each player be apprised instantly in doubtful cases whether his gpponent may be attempting a ,s'mash shot by striking the ball against the abutment Zand 3 that Iprovide a horizontally disposed strip-.21

embedded in the upper secondary playing areallli, having its bottom edgecoincident with the boundary line l6. Said strip ismade of .amaterial having snbstantially th same resilience, but having distinctlyldifierentts und char.-

acteristics when struckby .a ball, in comparison NE/lib" the material used for ,theiadjacent playing areas lfland 18 below and above thestrip 21,;respectively. l a s For illustrative purposes, it may be assumedthat both the playing surfaces 17 and 18 on the end ,panel, is made of a single sheet of plywood, while the%strip,2 l maybe made of sheet metal, plastic or other material, havingzinwardlyturned flanges 22 22 embeddedin the surface-of the end panel, and with the upper and lower edges/oft the strip flush with the meeting faces of the two playing areas, 17 and 18. The portion 23 of the, panel forming playing area 18 underlyingthe, strip, 21 may be recessedtoa depth slightly morethan the thickness of said strip tso asitoproa videa shallow open space 24 betweenthe inner'surface of. the strip and the opposed face of said panel,;astshown in s Figure 3, so astto insurea more distinctive difference .in

sound when the strip is struck by a ball.

. Sincethe sound strip 21 preferably has substantiallvthe sameresilience for rebound of the ball as thetwo adjacent playingareast17 and 18,, the proper thickness of :the strip and depth of the shallow recess 24 (if :the latter is used); canbe determinedexperimentally, depending upon :the nature-and physical characteristics of the material from which thev striplis made. 7

v.The strip 21 is disposed entirely above the boundary line 16 rather than below it, because most of the play-is-usually confined to the primary playing surface 17 below the boundary line, and it is only when one of the players attempts a smash shot above'the boundary line thatthe opponent s ould be alerted to the possibility of-"sucht an attempt. j

The sound strip '21 should 'beof su'flicientheight to eliminate any reasonable question in doubtful cases whether-the ball has'been struckabove or below 'the boundary line 16 at the bottom -=edge of said strip. flu practice, a strip of about three inches wide has given satisfactoryiresults. 'Althougha player can 'usuallyPobserve whetherthe ball strikes the abutment' wall w'ell possible,to'rbe certain, one way' or the other, when the ball'strikes near the-boundary line, "without 'the -aid of a difference in sound as'aiguide for thelay,and' s'coringof' thetga'm'e; i

The upper edges'ofsthe sidewalls 13,13 preferably extend verticallyonly'jto'the houndary'lin'e 1'6, so-that -a' i player makingxa smashl shotwill derive no advantage from rebounding against either-sidewall. ii

- "2 18;, tag

boundary; line? 16:8, corresponding tcethe bou ear-y line lfi of;1?igur-es1..ai1d:-2 i fidthough ljhave shownzand deseribe'd certain emho'di ,mentsntmyinventionit wilLbeunderstoodthatlslonot wish to be limited to the exact construction shown and described, but that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim: v a

1. In a bouncing ball game apparatus having an elonsatedt ble courtandsan abutment wallzprojectin'gupwardly at one end thereof toprovide an unobstructed ball-rebound ng urface inclined at an acute angle to said table court, said abutment wall having a generally horizontal boundary line thereacross to define upper and lower rebounding;areas-.having substantially the same surface resilience, the lrelativezlength of the table court and the height and angle of said lower rebounding area be ing such that a line extending from the player position end of the table court to said boundary line is normal to the plane of the lower reboundingiarea, whereby :a ball struckfrom the players position .endof the court and im-' pinging said. lower rebounding'aliea will rebound initial- 3 a dh ifi l tcql tt shor ofihe. playerlposition'end of the latter, and a strip of material extendinghorizon tallyacross said upper ball-rebounding area with itslower edge coincident withtsaid horizontalgboundary line and with its outer face substantially flush'withthe proximate surface of said upper rebounding area, said strip being of substantially the same-resilienceasthat .of the ball rebounding areas but having distinctly different sound characteristics than said areas .upenbeiug struck by a ball.

2. Thestructure in accordance with claim 1, wherein said horizontal strip-consists of -a,pie,c,e of sheetmaterial with inturned marginal vflanges,embedded :in vthe-upper ball-rebounding area 3. The structure inaccordance with claim 2, th rein the ball-rebounding area underlyingthe horizontal strip is recessed in spacedrelation from the inner face. of r the strip. I V p 7 t. 1

'4. In a bouncing ball'game apparatushaving.an elongatedltable conrt and an abutmentwall projecting angularly upwardly at one end thereof tqpliovidean unob:

structed ball-reboundirggsurface for'said table tcourt, said= abutment wall having a generally horizontal boundaryfrom the player positiontend ofthe court and impinging said lower rebounding areawill rebound initially toward the courtshort of the player position end of tthelatter, and' the rebounding area above ,said boundary line. being "disposed at a greater angle of inclination. totthe table court than that of the lower rebounding area.

5. Ina bouncing balltgame apparatus having an'elongated table ,courtand'ianlabutment wallprojecting ang u larly upwardly. at one end thereof to provide an unob-.

structed ballrrebounding surface for said table court, said abutment wall having a. generally horizontal boundary v line thereacross to define upper and lowerrebounding areas having substantially the samessurface resilience,

the relativelength ,of the. table court and the. height and angle of inclination of said lower rebounding area being such that ahlinewextendingrfrom a player position end of the rtable courbto saidfboundary line isnormal to the plane-of the lower rebounding area, whereby a ballstruck r m h play apos i n n th u n l m ns ng said lower rebounding area will elboilildih the court short gt t'he playerpositionendlof tbetlatter, the r oun ng-area i posed at a greater angl flinc'liuationstothe enema than ithat ,of' the; lower rebounding tarea, and.;:;a strip hi material enibedded'iii and extending horizontallyracross said npper ball-reboundingt area, saidstrinhaving thelower edge'thereof coincident with sai'd'horizontal boundary v lly toward b ve said. boundary ,linebeing ldis line and with the upper and lower edges of the strip being substantially flush with the proximate surface of said upper rebounding area, said strip being of substantially the same resilience as that of the ball-rebounding areas but having distinctly different sound characteristics than said areas upon being struck by a ball.

6. In a bouncing ball game apparatus having an elongated table court and an abutment wall projecting angularly upwardly at one end thereof to provide an unobstructed ball-rebounding surface for said table court, said abutment wall having a generally horizontal boundary line thereacross to define upper and lower rebounding areas having substantially the same surface resilience, the relative length of the table court and the height and angle of inclination of said lower rebounding area being such that a line extending from a player position end of the table court to said boundary line is normal to the plane of the lower rebounding area, whereby a ball struck from the player position end of the court and impinging said lower rebounding area must rebound initially toward the court short of the player position end thereof, the improvement comprising, the upper rebounding area being disposed at a greater angle of inclination to the table court than the angle of inclination of the lower rebounding area, whereby a ball struck with suflicient force from the player position end of the court and impinging said upper rebounding area can rebound beyond the player position end of the court.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,045,460 Goewey June 23, 1936 2,161,463 Frost June 6, 1939 2,333,098 Forsyth Nov. 2, 1943 2,614,339 Forsyth Oct. 21, 1952 2,629,594 Forsyth Feb. 24, 1953 2,711,899 Forsyth June 28, 1955 

